This section is for both coaches and players. For a coach, it gives you a better road map on how to train an athlete so that they can receive the best and quickest results specific for them including their unique biomechanics—the scientific study and analysis of how all the individual parts of your body work together to make up athletic and everyday movements. For players receiving training, if a coach isn’t asking at least six of these eight questions, they’re probably guessing. You might want to consider a different coach for training.

 

I’ve asked this question many times:

 

“Would you rather have a surgeon operate on you based on a

one-size-fits-all model or careful examination based on your specific needs?”

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A great hitting coach isn’t just someone who just retells what they have been told what good swing mechanics look like. They are someone who understands their players—their mindset, their goals, how they learn best, and takes into consideration a player’s natural biomechanical make-up. They have training and education in multiple areas other than in baseball. Areas such as physics, biomechanics, kinesiology, learning science, pedagogy and mental game. Too many coaches approach training with a one-size-fits-all mentality, assuming that every player needs to be taught the same way. But hitting is personal. Every player sees, feels, and processes the game differently. That’s why a hitting coach’s first responsibility is to know how to ask the right questions and truly listen.

 

The following questions help coaches get better insight to an individual athlete’s behavioral style, reasoning skills, preferred learning style, perceptions, personality and deeper insight to their individual biomechanics.

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What Do You Want to Get Out of This Training?

This is the most important question a coach can ask. Every player steps into training with a different purpose. Some want to hit for more power. Others want to improve their timing. Some just want to feel more comfortable in  the box. If a coach doesn’t ask, they’re guessing—and guessing often leads to wasted time. A player needs to feel like their specific goals matter. When a coach takes the time to understand exactly what the player wants to improve, training becomes more focused and effective.

 

How Will You Know if It’s Working for You?

Success in training is more than just feeling good during a lesson. It has to translate to game performance. This question forces players to define success for themselves. Maybe they want to feel more balanced at the plate. Maybe they want to be better driving the ball to the opposite field. By identifying what improvement looks like to them, both the player and the coach have a clear way to measure progress.

 

What Might It Feel Like? What Might It Look Like to You?

Hitting is as much about feel as it is about mechanics. Every player has had that moment when everything just clicks—the perfect contact, the effortless power. But that feeling is different for everyone. Some players describe it as feeling weightless. Others say they feel completely connected to the bat. A coach needs to know what that ideal swing feels like to the player. If a coach can help a player recognize what “good” feels like, they can work on getting to that place more consistently.

 

What Do You Feel You Need to Work on?

Immediately after asking this question, say “And don’t say what others have told you. I want what you think.”

 

Players are often told by parents, teammates, or other coaches what they “need to fix.” But what does the player actually feel? This question forces them to take ownership of their training. A player who has never been asked this before might struggle to answer at first, but that’s okay. The point is to get them thinking critically about their  swing  and  their  approach. When a player starts to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses, they become more invested in improving.  

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What Training or Drills Have You Done That You Feel Haven’t Worked for You? When Did You Realize It Wasn’t Working? How Did You Know?

Not all drills work for every player. Asking these three questions allows coaches to understand what has or hasn’t resonated with the player in the past. Maybe they kept doing a certain drill because they were told to, but deep down, they knew it wasn’t helping. Recognizing this helps avoid wasting time on training methods that don’t connect with the player.

 

What Suggestions Do You Have for Me So You Can Better Understand What I Am Teaching?

Every player learns differently. Some need to see a demonstration. Others need to feel the movement in their own body. Some respond to verbal explanations, while others need hands-on adjustments. If a player isn’t understanding something, that’s not their fault—it’s the coach’s job to find another way to communicate it. Asking the player how they learn best opens the door for better training. It also empowers the player, making them an active participant in their own development rather than just a passive receiver of information.

 

What Questions Do You Have for Me?

This question flips the conversation, allowing the player to take ownership of their learning. It also reveals what they might be struggling with, what they’re curious about, or what they need more clarification on. It will also expose what they don’t know. A great hitting coach isn’t just about providing answers—it’s about creating a dialogue where the player feels comfortable voicing their thoughts, concerns, questions and ideas.

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The Importance of a Two-Way Conversation

Too many hitting lessons or trainings are one-sided. The coach talks. The player listens. But hitting isn’t just about receiving instructions—it’s about  understanding  them  and  applying  them. 

 

When a coach asks questions, they are giving the player permission to think for themselves. They are allowing the player to reflect, analyze, and take control of their own improvement. This also builds trust. A player who feels heard is more likely to buy into what their coach is teaching. If a player believes their input matters, they will be more engaged, more focused, and more willing to put in the work.

 

Coaches - Important Added Benefit

The right questions also gives a coach a deeper understanding to a player’s unique movement patterns. Modern training has become obsessed with numbers—exit velocity, launch angle, bat speed—everything is tracked, measured, and analyzed. While data has its place, this over reliance on data and matrixes has completely disrupted the true nature of hitting. Too often, players are forced into the same rigid mold trying to achieve a specific matrix instead of developing within their natural movement patterns. Every player is different, yet many training programs ignore that, turning hitting training into a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach.

 

Even though two players might have identical batting averages, exit velocities, and even similar stances, the way they move, think, and adjust in the box is entirely their own. By asking real questions—questions that uncover how a player moves, feels, and processes the game, allows training to be as individual as the player himself. Let’s look at a few of the questions again and see how they give insight to the players individual movement patterns. When a hitter answers:

 

What do you want to get out of this training?

It tells a coach what’s driving that player. But more importantly, it hints at how his body already moves. If he says, “I want to pull the ball more consistently,” a coach can assess whether his swing path naturally allows that, or is he fighting against his own mechanics?

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 What would it look like?

Takes it even deeper. If a hitter says, “It would feel smooth and effortless,”  but his swing looks tense and rigid, there’s a disconnect between what he’s trying to do and what his body is actually doing. A coach can use this to bridge the gap, guiding him toward a swing that matches his individual movement patterns.

 

What do you feel you need to work on?

When a player describes what he needs to work on, without just repeating what others have told him, it reveals his instincts. That’s critical. It sheds more light on where to look for issues – giving more guidance where a coach should look first —because the player’s body knows the truth before the stats ever will.

 

What hasn’t worked for you in the past?

That’s a goldmine! It shows how his body has possibly rejected certain movements. Maybe he tried a drill that emphasized launching the ball in the air, but it felt unnatural, and his swing suffered. That’s a clue that his natural movement pattern doesn’t match that approach. A coach can use this information to tailor training to what actually works for that player, rather than forcing a system that doesn’t fit.

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Training That Translates to the Game

At the end of the day, training has to prepare a player for what happens in a live game. A drill might feel great in a controlled environment, but does it actually help when facing an unpredictable, high-velocity pitch under pressure? By asking the right questions, a coach can tailor training to make sure it translates where it matters most—on the field.

 

Conclusion

Baseball isn’t just about physical skill. It’s about adaptability, decision-making, and confidence. When a coach encourages players to think critically about their own development, and comfortable asking their trainer questions, they are giving them the tools they need to succeed beyond just one lesson or one season. They are helping them become better hitters, smarter athletes, and ultimately, a better competitor and individual.

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Every answer an athlete gives is a map of who he is as an athlete. His natural body movements, innate tendencies, and instincts are all hidden in his words. A great coach listens, learns, and builds training around the player, not the other way around. Asking the right questions changes that and the training becomes personal.

 

Since the best hitters in the world don’t all have the same body make-up or swing, does it make sense for every player be taught the same way? Break the mold. Train the individual by embracing their uniqueness. These questions add a deeper level of understanding the individual and the best way to train and educate them.

 

A great hitting coach isn’t an instructor—they’re a teacher, mentor, and guide. The best coaches don’t force a rigid set of rules onto their players. Instead, they ask, they listen, and they adapt. They create an environment where players feel heard, comfortable to question, and where training is tailored to their individual needs.

 

The questions a coach asks shape the way a player approaches their own improvement while also deepening the coach’s understanding of player development. These conversations help bridge the gap between training and application. So, if you’re a hitting coach, ask your players what they think. Get them involved in their own learning. You’ll be surprised how much you will continue to learn and how much more effective training becomes when it’s built on communication, trust, and a shared vision of success.